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119 of 144 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exceeded expectations, November 23, 2004
There are some very cool, slick sounds on this cd. Fantasia's voice on AI got a little screechy to me on "I Believe" but not here. "I Believe" is incredibly passionate to me. Her soulfulness is really showcased with some fantastic background sounds from the more urban "Ain't Gonna Beg," and "Free Yourself" and back to a bayou-jazz sound from "Summertime," "You Were Always on My Mind" (a simple piano, drums, some sax and her voice are lovely together and little more is necessary) and of course her rendition of "I Believe."
The better tracks are funky - "Truth is," "It's All Good" and "Selfish" are catchy and have a more traditional R&B sound as does "Baby Mama".
Overall this cd is surprisingly really good to me. I kept thinking about Ruben Studdard's first full length cd and how I was expecting something more from him like what we'd heard on AI and it turned out to be so urban it overshadowed the real joy and R&B smoothness of his voice to me. So I guess my expectations weren't very high for this cd because I thought the same thing might happen. Too much in-your-face urban clouds the universally appealing talent by these young hopeful singers. However, these tracks by Fantasia made a far more positive impression on me than I thought they would because they are very contemporary but not so urban sleek they slide off the plate.
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Full Review of an amazing Debut!, November 23, 2004
Fantasia - Free Yourself
1 - Ain't Gon' Beg You -- A nice solid r&b soul groove that suits Fantasia really well. She really let's loose here. A nice solid start - ***
2 - Free Yourself -- Okay, here it is. One of the cd's most standout songs. Really amazing. Fantasia could really duke it out, and come out on top, with any of the vocalists in music today, and this song proves it. Wow -- ****
3 - Truth Is -- The first single is nothing but solid. Fantasia really could take on Mary J with this one. Instead of seeing them duel it out, I would love to see them duet. Its wonderful to see a single with great writing, production, and amazing performance by Fantasia. Refreshing for horrible American Idol singles. -- ***1/2
4 - Selfish (featuring Missy Elliot) -- Okay, here we go! Fantasia get's hip-hop on us, and boy does it work. This is one fun song, and a guest rap by Missy Elliot only helps things out. This is one tight track, everything is close to dance-worthy perfection. -- ****
5 - Summertime -- Of course this must be concluded, Fantasia knocks this song out of the park, as usual. There is no way this could garner anything but a four star perfect rating. Never gets old. -- ****
6 - Baby Mama -- I know when I read the title of this song I thought, Fantasia what are you thinking? But in turn, what was I thinking? This is by far the most fun song on the album. It's also very powerful, even I connect, and I do not have a child, nor am I a woman. Bravo .. Don't judge a book by its cover because I could see this being big. I simply cannot stop listening to this track. -- ****
7 - Got Me Waiting -- Very catchy chorus. Overall great song, after some great powerhouse it pales a little in comparison, but it's nice to hear Fantasia take a break and do something really smooth. -- ***
8 - It's All Good -- Fantasia get's crunk again. Woah! Love the background beat on this. Very very tight production here. She really fits all of these styles. And this is one fun song. This song is better than anything on the new Destiny Child cd, another standout song. This is one of my favorites! -- ****
9 - Always on My Mind -- Another song Fantasia sang on the show. This is by Willie Nelson. Yeah, so now we have Fantasia's take on country. This is by far, the most emotionally charged song on the cd. Fantasia sounds amazing, I want this on the radio. This song steals the show. -- ****
10 - Good Lovin -- Don't know what could follow the last song, but this song tries to slow it down even more. A very slow jazz feel to this one. I think it's one of the weaker songs on the cd. It's not terrible, but its not up to the rest. -- **1/2
11 - Don't Act Right (feat. Jazze Pha) -- I don't love the intro. with Jazze Pha, however as soon as Fantasia starts rhyming over this killer loop background, all my hope was restored. This is another hip-hop influenced song. The more I listen to this track, the more I love it. Very Very good. -- ***1/2
12 - This Is Me -- Overall pretty average song. The writing isn't as strong as some of the other songs, and the production of the song itself is rather weak. Fantasia sounds wonderful though, but this one I would skip over. -- **
13 - I Believe -- Ever since we saw her sing this as a victory performance on the show, I still get goosebumps. This is truly an amazing song, solely based on the vocal performance of Fantasia's. Even on cd, this provides the emotional impact of her onstage performance. Absolutely amazing -- ****
So overall, Fantasia really delivers, in a big way. She succeeds at all types of music, R&B, Hip Hop, Country, Jazz, etc. She does it all here. I don't know when the last time was that I rated so many songs off of one album with four stars (7 of the 13 songs here got 4 star ratings from me), so that says something. Although there were 2 songs I feel lacked a little passion, it doesn't mean this album is anything but amazing. What a debut! I hope this gets the chart success that it deserves. And I truly cannot wait to buy more and more albums from Fantasia. I really believe this girl has what it takes to be huge, and thank God American Idol finally put out a deserving winner with exceptional talent.
Best Songs: 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 13
Overall rating: **** (perfect)
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46 of 55 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
ELECTRIFYING..Just sit back and let her talent engulf you!!!, November 23, 2004
Princess of Soul is right!!! 'Free Yourself' is phenomenal.
This woman has proven to be over the top; when she sings you feel her soul, sincerity, and deep emotions. YOU CAN FEEL WHAT SHE SINGS ABOUT. She has old fashioned roots, style, ALL mixed with modern day funkiness, class, style, commanding stage presence, explosive energy, constructive confidence and assertiveness, must I go on?
She's a new age hybrid combination of ARETHA, TINA, BILLIE HOLIDAY AND PATTI LABELLE.
TAKE NOTICE AMERICA, WE ARE WITNESSING A SERIOUS SUPERSTAR IN THE MAKING HERE. MARK MY WORDS, SHE WILL BE A HUGE SUCCESS FOR A VERY LONG TIME!!
Moral: cream always rises to the top in due time, this lady is a specially talented individual who is very deserving of a legitimate break and opportunity in the relentless, tough jungle called the entertainment business. Fantasia is the real deal based on talent, desire, and emotions, not by gimmicks, lip sinking, trendiness, publicity stunts, and the like. Just sit back and let her talent engulf and wash over you!
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